The Hell-Fired Blues: Virginians in the American Revolution

Join historian John C. Settle as he uncovers the lives and service of Virginia’s Continental soldiers.

The American Civil War Museum–Appomattox is pleased to host the Appomattox Petersburg Preservation Society for their lecture, “The Hell-Fired Blues: Virginians in the American Revolution.”

Following the disastrous defeats at Charleston and Waxhaws, the Virginia Continental Line had to be reorganized. Despite the challenges of recruiting, supplying, and properly officering these new battalions, Virginia’s Continental soldiers played an important role in the campaigns in the South through the end of the Revolutionary War. Yet despite their service, they are largely forgotten. Through hundreds of pension applications and letters, John C. Settle has reconstructed the story of not only the battles and generals, but the experiences of the officers and men of the Virginia Continental Line as soldiers and veterans.

John C. Settle currently teaches U.S. history and civics in Powhatan County. His research focuses on the military experiences of Virginians during and after the Revolutionary War. His book, The Virginia Continental Line in the Revolution’s Southern Campaigns, examines the experiences of Virginia Continental soldiers during the later years of the war. Settle has also published articles for the Fluvanna Historical Society and the Journal of the American Revolution.